


Early Hours

by blackrabbitrun



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Emil being an unwitting monster magnet like usual, Gen, SSSS fic that is actually about SSSSing, Trolls, based on Minna art, sandwich thieves, sentence fragments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 13:51:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrabbitrun/pseuds/blackrabbitrun
Summary: Emil was having a nice, quiet turn at watch. Then death walked in.





	Early Hours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aki_no_monogatari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aki_no_monogatari/gifts).



Emil shivered and tried to tug his cloak tighter around his neck. He had pulled last watch, and interrupted sleep was making him feel the cold even worse. The morning fog rising from the fields seemed to creep inside his clothes in the back even as the fire roasted his front.

He sighed and fed another log into the fire. If only his front was going to be warm, at least that was going to be warm properly. The fire popped loudly when he disturbed it, and Emil winced. He shot a quick glance around the camp, but nobody seemed to have stirred. 

Not surprising himself in the slightest, Emil found his eyes lingering longest on Lalli. It still felt odd, to have him sleeping alongside them every night instead of alone in the dark scouting ahead, but moving on foot they could not afford more than one sleeping schedule. Lalli had adapted to his new duties running ahead during the day instead with remarkable grace, if only because that got him further away from the exuberances of the team while they were all awake.

Emil wrenched his eyes away from Lalli's sleeping form to pay at least some attention to his watch duties. It was quite the ego boost, to have people like Lalli and Sigrun trusting him to guard their rest. He had come such a long way from being that too-old too-soft newbie cleanser; here was Emil Västerström, night guard in an experienced strike force deep in the silent world. 

The job was a lot more wet and cold than he'd been led to believe. 

Something pressed against his thigh. Emil would forever deny he jumped, but it was just Kitty, rolling over in her sleep to get closer to his warmth. Emil gave her a small pet below her fine new collar, but she did not stir any further. 

Well, since both of the team's resident troll radars were sleeping peacefully, it was probably safe to have a bite to eat. Not to mention with both Lalli and Kitty down for the count he was much more likely to get to keep his sandwich meat. Emil reached for his bag gingerly and fished out the sandwich he'd saved for his early watch hours. 

He had barely taken two bites when he noticed Kitty was awake and standing bright at attention next to him. Bedding rustled, and yep, Lalli was awake too. Did these guys have an "Emil has food" alert built into them? Emil shook his head and raised his bread for another bite. No, kitties, it is _Emil's_ meat and _Emil_ is going to eat it-

Something _crunched_ in the distance. It was a sound that would have been a rustle, but it was  _big._

Emil froze with the sandwich halfway to his lips. His eyes flicked automatically to Lalli, who was lying very still, eyes glimmering softly in the shadows in that way where Emil could never quite tell if it was magic or if Lalli's eyes were just like that. 

Lalli's mouth moved soundlessly. Emil couldn't make out the words but the _stay still or else_  was more than clear. Part of him registered that Kitty was frozen still and puffing up like mad, but most of him was busy registering the steps of something slow and _huge_  coming their way. 

Then the stench hit. 

Emil gagged a little against his will. It was worse than usual, the musty smell of undeath only an undertone to the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh that slammed into his consciousness, the stench of _whatever this is it has been eating people_ , the stench of _there's a giant behind me and I can't move._

The fire sounded so loud, too loud, why oh why had he fed so much wood into it. They had three mages but it was a _giant,_ they wouldn't stand a chance, how many times had he miraculously escaped a giant already? Surely nobody got that kind of luck more than twice. 

The steps came closer, so slow, so heavy, how big _was it_? And how many legs was that? No, he really didn't want to know. 

Lalli's eyes were flashing left, right, he would have seen behind Emil if he'd only raised his head a little bit, but he was a scout first and foremost and his frozen stance was iron solid. He was- oh. _Oh._  Night scout. This was what Lalli was used to meeting alone in the dark. 

The thing huffed behind him, a nightmare sound, wet and maggoty and just enough reminiscent of the gentle huff of a horse to register as familiar. Emil was fighting every instinct in his body to stay still, he wanted to just turn and be rid of this unseen horror, at least see the shape of what killed him before it came.

The steps- were they continuing on? His ears were straining for a change in the sound, any indication that the thing had seen them, was stopping, was turning around to come for them. 

It didn't come. 

Slowly, painfully slowly, the giant passed them by. After the steps grew further a wet, sliding sound still followed them, like an eel in the undergrowth, the smell worse than ever. Emil's arms were dying from holding their raised position for so long but he didn't dare to move. Not now, not when they were so close to seeing another dawn against all odds. 

Emil held still long after the forest grew quiet again. Finally, Lalli slipped out of his nook and patted Emil's knee. Safe. He slumped back, arms flopping uselessly into his lap. Ow. Lalli caught his bread before it ended up in the fire. 

"That. Was. Terrifying!" Emil whispered, voice still sharp with terror. "Do you meet those often?" 

Lalli, predictably, didn't say anything. He carefully placed the sandwich back into Emil's lax hands and folded his fingers around it. 

...the meat was gone. Damn rascal. Emil had already drawn breath to let Lalli know what would become of serial sandwich thieves, when he noticed Lalli was actually holding the cut of deer instead of eating it, setting it up on a stick to heat up on the fire. 

Emil huffed out the angry breath he'd been holding and leaned back again. Lalli gave his leg another pat. 

**Author's Note:**

> As you probably figured out this is based on the 'Camp Visitor' art Minna made. Originally written for Aki as a little Christmas present, I finally got around to cleaning it up. 
> 
> Also short as it is this is the first story I've finished since, like, the age of livejournal anon memes, so cheers to that?


End file.
